**[Mansion Lobby]**

The four individuals, wearing gloves and masks, were busy packing up the rotting food and tossing it out of the mansion.

They tried their best to rinse the floor with clean water, at least to reduce the stench inside the building. As for the problem in the backyard, they decided to deal with it later.

After cleaning the mourning hall, the group proceeded to install a device called "strip wall lights" throughout the mansion.

These lights were flat and elongated, designed to be affixed to ceilings or walls. Equipped with advanced battery technology, they could emit light continuously for up to a week without recharging.

This ensured adequate lighting during the fieldwork, even if the lanterns were destroyed.

The entire process took over three hours. During this time, everything in the mansion remained normal—no unusual sounds or sightings.

**[Second Floor - Master Bedroom]**

The group temporarily gathered in the master bedroom, wiping sweat from their foreheads with tissues while discussing the most challenging and suspicious area—the backyard.

Even now, just thinking about the smell of the backyard made Anna's stomach churn.

Rough estimates suggested that at least thirty pigs and cows were piled up in the backyard, most of them in a state of gigantism.

Dragging each carcass to the wilderness for burial would be too labor-intensive and time-consuming. Moreover, the bodies might carry highly contagious pathogens.

But leaving the corpses in the backyard unaddressed could potentially link them to some sinister ritual.

Of course, the most concerning issue was the four human corpses hanging from the tree.

Frequent horror movie viewer Luo Di used his divergent thinking to come up with a chilling hypothesis:

The food in the mourning hall was meant for them, the "guests," while the scattered pigs and cows in the backyard were prepared for the "hosts" hanging from the tree.

Perhaps, at some point, the tree's "hosts" would come back to life.

At this thought, Gao Yuxuan, leaning against the curved corner of the wall, offered his suggestion: "Burn it all. Burn the tree along with everything in the backyard. That way, we can get rid of the stench and eliminate the danger."

Luo Di couldn't agree more. Burning did seem like the best solution.

However, how to burn it was another problem.

The class monitor tapped her chin with her finger, trying to recall relevant knowledge from their cultural studies. "Most of these animal corpses are already in a state of gigantism. You've all experienced the intensity of the stench. If we burn them recklessly, it might cause an explosion.

Why not drag the bodies to the mountains and toss them down a slope?"

Standing by the bed, Luo Di interjected, "No need to burn the animal corpses. Just burn the four human bodies on the tree."

The monitor immediately questioned, "How do we burn them? Burning the tree directly is also dangerous. The methane concentration in the backyard is probably above the explosive threshold. If we're not careful, the entire mansion could blow up."

"We burn them outside. Move the corpses to an open space outside the mansion, dig a shallow pit, pile up enough firewood, and cremate them on the spot."

The monitor nodded in agreement. "Good idea! Let's split up into pairs. Anna, you and Luo Di prepare the firewood for burning. I'll go with Gao to move the bodies."

"Yay!"

Anna, relieved that she wouldn't have to go to the foul-smelling backyard, turned around and hugged the monitor tightly, almost suffocating her with the force.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

However, Gao Yuxuan disagreed. "No, I think all four of us should act together.

The bodies hanging in the backyard are highly suspicious. There might be danger during the moving process. Let's head to the backyard now and move the bodies outside before discussing the cremation."

After breaking free from Anna's grip, the monitor clenched her fist and smacked it into her palm. "Alright, it's decided! Everyone, put on your masks. There are four of us, just enough to carry one body each.

Oh, and bring our sleeping bags. We can use them to wrap the corpses and isolate any potential pathogens. Anyway, we've already found a room to sleep in."

Anna, who had just been relieved, now started gagging again, putting on not one but four layers of masks.

**[Backyard]**

The corpses of pigs and cows were scattered across the backyard, forming winding paths.

The spaces between the paths were filled with various fluids seeping from the decaying bodies.

Countless flies were feasting here, dancing, spinning, and indulging themselves.

Perhaps it was because they had already faced the initial shock, but this time, the group managed to hold it together.

They wrapped themselves in raincoats, put on gloves, and completely covered their shoes with plastic bags.

"Let's go."

*Squelch!*

Luo Di led the way, with the monitor quickly following behind.

Stepping on the soft, sticky fluids was still somewhat unpleasant for her.

"Luo Di, you don’t seem fazed at all. We never received this kind of training in school."

"I cook often at home and sometimes visit the market to help slaughter poultry. Occasionally, I’ve even participated in pig slaughtering. Compared to this, the smell is only slightly stronger. It’s not too different."

The monitor didn’t doubt his explanation. Instead, she shifted her attention to another topic. "Wow, you can cook? If we make it through this, can we try your cooking?"

"No."

The monitor’s expression shifted slightly before she changed the subject again. "Be careful when retrieving the bodies later. There might be danger."

"Got it."

The group finally reached the locust tree in the center of the yard, stepping through the filth.

Perhaps due to long-term absorption of the filth, the tree trunk was covered with dense pores, from which the mansion’s chilling wind seemed to seep.

The sight of these countless tiny holes was deeply unsettling.

The four corpses hanging from the tree appeared to be the mansion's owner, his wife, and their two children.

The heights at which they were hanged seemed deliberate:

The presumed patriarch, an elderly man, was hanging the highest and was the most decomposed.

The middle-aged woman was next.

The two younger individuals hung at the lowest points, showing early signs of gigantism. They likely prepared everything in the house before finally hanging themselves.

Luo Di noticed something peculiar about the family, especially the elderly man at the top. His fingernails were covered in black spots, entirely blackened and unusually long.

It gave the impression that his nails had continued growing even after death.

Next came another challenge:

**How to retrieve the body at the top?**

The bodies of the two young individuals and the middle-aged woman were successfully retrieved. There was no change in the corpses during the cutting of the ropes or the bagging process.

The backyard remained as foul-smelling as ever, with no additional anomalies.

Now, it was time to retrieve the elderly man's body.

Instead of climbing the tree, Luo Di and Anna teamed up again. Standing on Anna’s shoulders, Luo Di barely reached the elderly man’s position.

Swinging the machete in his hand—*Swish!*

The hemp rope snapped.

The elderly man’s body fell straight down, almost brushing against Luo Di’s body. For some reason, perhaps an instinctive sense of danger, Luo Di instinctively stepped back.

Standing on Anna’s shoulders, this backward step caused him to lose his balance and fall.

The expected impact with the ground never came.

With his hands shielding his head, Luo Di felt confused. He could clearly feel two strong arms supporting his back and legs, holding him steadily.

Anna had reacted quickly, turning and extending her arms in the instant Luo Di lost his footing, catching him just in time.

Luo Di didn’t feel embarrassed. Instead, he was surprised that a high school girl could easily catch someone weighing 80 kilograms. His evaluation of this foreign student from another school rose once again.

Meanwhile, the monitor and Gao Yuxuan quickly bagged the body.

"Hey, how long are you two planning to stay like that? Be careful, or you’ll get called to the office for a lecture!"

The monitor grinned mischievously, using her wristband’s photo mode to capture the moment as a memento of this fieldwork.